What Actually Happens in the First 90 Days with a Fractional CFO

One question we get often: “Okay, but what does a fractional CFO actually do in those first few months?”

The honest answer: They help sharpen the entire picture of the business, so you can lead it with more confidence.

The First 30 Days: Listening and Diagnosing

This phase is mostly about absorption. We dive into the existing financials—cash flow patterns, current reporting, forecasts (if they exist), and where decisions tend to get stuck. But it’s not about rushing in with changes or building fancy dashboards for the sake of it.

Instead, it’s conversations: How does the business really make money? What keeps you up at night financially? Where have past surprises come from? It’s common for founders to uncover that seemingly healthy revenue growth is concealing thinning margins in a specific channel—something they’d sensed intuitively but hadn’t yet pinpointed.

The goal here is clarity on what’s working, what’s fragile, and where the low-hanging improvements lie.

Days 31–60: Building Practical Tools

With a solid understanding in place, we start creating what’s actually needed—no more, no less. That might mean a straightforward 13-week cash flow model you can update yourself, KPIs tied directly to your revenue drivers, or a simple scenario tool for testing hiring or marketing spend.

We always aim for usability over complexity. Founders are busy; the last thing they need is another convoluted spreadsheet. The goal is to turn a vague “we think we’re profitable” feeling into precise unit economics that guide strategy.

Days 61–90: Driving Smarter Decisions

By now, the numbers start working for you instead of just reporting what happened. Conversations evolve: Should we accelerate hiring? Can we afford that new warehouse? What pricing tweak unlocks the next level of growth?

A strong fractional CFO doesn’t take over your judgment—they amplify it. You end up with the data and context to make bold moves without unnecessary risk.

Every engagement looks a little different based on the business, but the pattern holds: from fog to focus in a quarter.